


Sigma

by The_Ringleader



Category: GOT7
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Cupid JYP, F/M, Fluff, JYP is a matchmaker, M/M, Multi, OT7, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pack, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Slow Build, Smut, ongoing series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 04:25:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8149058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ringleader/pseuds/The_Ringleader
Summary: There are less than 20 of them in the recorded history of man-kind. They are hunted, they are captured and they are experimented on. For most of them, they live their life in the shadows, alone in world of bonded packs and mated couples. Some are daring enough to join packs, though it never lasts long and the consequences are usually detrimental… often fatal.JYP believes that she belongs to them, and that they belong to her, even if he is the only one who sees it. He believes that she is destined to join their pack, even if she resists and they are on their guard. He knows the risk that this presents for everyone involved, including himself, but if it means that his god-daughter can live the life she deserves with seven of the people he trusts the most in this world, then he is willing to take those risks. Besides, he can always use an extra set of hands when it comes to wrangling in the world famous bonded pack that is GOT7.TL;DR:JYP is a patient AF matchmaker and everyone sucks at handling their emotions/admitting what they want.





	1. Chapter 1

Seven pairs of eyes snapped towards the door as the scent of blueberries and coconut flooded their senses, their mouths beginning to unconsciously salivate. Their eyes tracked the smaller figure as she followed, three steps behind their beloved JYP, into their practise room. They watched her from not only their view of her, but also traced her movements through the wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors behind her, not wanting to miss any movement, any step, any facial expression. It wasn’t as though she was strutting through, or swaying her hips as she walked. In fact, she walked with a heavy foot and almost frumpy in nature, posture hunched a little and gait slightly mirroring that of someone masculine presenting. Though admittedly, there was a slight sway to her hips that they all caught on to. They had been so focused on the young woman that too long of a moment passed before they remembered to stand and bow in a show of respect. JYP for his part, merely smirked, single eyebrow raised as his eyes briefly flicked over his shoulder to where they young dark-skinned woman stood staring down at her clipboard. He began to address the group as they sat back down, intentionally ignoring what had just happened, ever the observer, cataloguing the information for later.

The seven young men tried their hardest to focus on their boss’ words – something about new songs and routines… secret album… visual album… refreshed image… world charts – but their attention kept flicking back to the young woman. She had to have been close to their age, no younger than Yugyeom but maybe a little older than Mark. She was clearly a foreigner, skin a golden, glowing, deep brown and hair a brilliant shade of teal, reminiscent of a beautiful, enchanted rainforest. She was at least half a head shorter than their shortest member and second alpha, Jackson, his eyes scanning over her fuller figure, mind assessing the situation whilst his body responded, breath becoming ragged. She was curvy, hosting wide hips and thick thighs, jeans hugging her all the way down to her calves. She had a bit of a belly and a fuller chest, her hair mid-length, and scruffy with waves. From what Jackson could see, she had a few piercing and tattoos as well. Her scent was unfamiliar, completely unlike anything the pack had ever experienced, which left them wholly unable to determine her status. Her behaviour screamed omega as she avoided all eye-contact with any of them, only looking up to pay attention to something JYP had said. However there was something there, an unspoken sense of self-confidence despite her behaviour that had the members of the pack believing she was a beta. Yet she smelt like neither.

Jaebum licked his bottom lip, biting it slightly as he sat in deep thought, mind scanning through every potential, every scent he recognised in his lifetime as an alpha, trying to place her. Until an almost melodic, feminine laugh had them all zeroing in on the woman in front of them. The woman’s smile floored the alpha. It was brilliant and inviting, dazzling even though it wasn’t directed at any of them, but at JYP. She tilted her head, left hand covering half her face as she continued laughing and shaking her head. However, when she began to speak, Jaebum’s eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring at her words as she out-right corrected something JYP said, a foreign accent lacing her Korean, her voice powerful yet soft and slightly raspy. Jaebum was caught off guard by her actions, standing up and defiantly correcting JYP. _What is she?_ He thought as his mind raked over the possibilities. JYP paused momentarily, a rebuttal leaving his lips. The woman shook her head definitely, reiterating her correction and telling him that he was wrong in a flat tone. JYP to his credit remained calm but clearly frustrated at being shown up in front of his employees, again disagreeing with the young woman. In a few swift steps, she closed the gap between them, standing as tall as she could, with near perfect posture as she pointed at the clipboard, eyebrows raising expectantly. The two held eye contact, tension rifling through their bodies momentarily. _She’s an alpha? That can’t be,_ Jaebum thought, eyes widening slightly as he caught Jackson’s gaze, the younger alpha clearly thinking the same. Jaebum could feel a shift in his pack, smell their tension and confusion at what was transpiring in front of them. None of them could categorise her and that had _never_ happened in any of their lives before. It usually took less than a second for anyone to determine another’s status.

It was another moment before JYP broke eye contact, the alpha scanned over the group in front of him, a sound somewhere between a scoff and a disbelieving laugh leaving his lips, “I admit, I stand corrected”. He looked back at the woman who smiled confidently at him, briefly poking her tongue out before looking back at the floor, still smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear. Jaebum felt a flare of anger course through him. Anger at himself for still not having any clue what she was. _Alpha, beta, omega…?_ Whilst it was common for omegas to stand up to alphas – they all had different personalities and weren’t always submissive after all, as BamBam had proved time and time again – there was something about the woman that screamed both omega and not omega. Something also screamed beta and not beta, alpha and not alpha. Jaebum looked away for a second, feeling his eyes flash a brilliant blue for a moment, the frustration and emotion overwhelming him. He glanced up at Youngjae, who was watching him in turn. The young omega’s eyes flashed silver, mimicking the emotion of his alpha. Concern, frustration and confusion were bubbling through the group as they exchanged glances, eyes flashing with emotion. Subtly, BamBam slid closer to his alpha, the need for proximity overwhelming the youngest omega who still managed to maintain a casual front. Mark and Yugyeom had somehow found their way closer to the Jinyoung, the three betas maintaining some slight form of skin contact with one another through the touch of knees, a hand resting on an arm, or fingers lightly touching together on the floor. Jackson remained where he was, bluffing an amused smirk at the exchange between JYP and the yet unnamed woman, despite feeling every bit the tension that his pack was feeling.

JYP observed the group, picking up on their scent. He looked back at the woman again, who smiled an unsure, sad smile, clearly identifying the emotions thick in the air. She closed her eyes and nodded. JYP cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the pack in front of him. “You’re all probably wondering who this is,” he motioned towards the woman as the attention turned to her again. She shuffled from foot to foot, again unable to make eye-contact.

“This is my god-daughter Ava, from Australia. I was very close with her parents some time ago. She will be working for me and helping to oversee the next chapter of GOT7’s career. At some point, she may become a part of your choreography team. She is older than you. Treat her with respect, kindness and gratitude. She is incredibly talented and intelligent so I expect you to listen to her if she tells you do to something. For the most part, she will be working with me, but when she is with you, you are to behave. _Who_ she is, is important… _what_ she is, is not. No questions.

With that, JYP bid farewell to the group, turning and ushering Ava out in front of him. She briefly turned around, eyes flashing as they connected with Jaebum, and then Jackson. The alphas’ breath hitched as JYP and Ava disappeared from sight. “Did her eyes…” Jackson began to ask.

“I’ve never seen someone’s eyes flash… flash violet before. What does that mean, hyung?” Jinyoung asked, clearly having seen what they did.

Everyone turned to face Jaebum, apparently all having seen the same thing, equally confused and looking for an answer. He met and held eye contact with each of them before replying, “I’m sorry, but I genuinely had no clue. I’ve never met anyone with violet eyes and her status scent was not one I recognise.”

There was a murmur that passed amongst the group, a buzz of nervous energy that had everyone on edge. “You don’t think she’s dangerous, do you hyung?” Youngjae asked softly, a whine involuntarily escaping his lips. A surge of protectiveness erupted through Jaebum who reached out and pulled Youngjae closer to him and BamBam, feeling the need to keep his omegas close. Jaebum looked over at Jackson, unspoken words and agreements passing between them, characteristic of bonded alphas.

“No, I don’t think she’s dangerous. She’s not a threat in any way. But she is an unknown. Neither Jackson nor I could get a read of her. I don’t think JYP would bring someone dangerous here, regardless of his relationship with them. However, be on your guard. We don’t know who she is, or if she is mated. We don’t know if she is bonded and part of a pack. Just be wary and be smart.

Jaebum hugged his omegas closer, inhaling their scent – the omega line, a mix of sweet, floral and musk – to calm himself.

“Even though she did smell amazing,” Jackson groaned, awe colouring his words.

“Ugh, she smelt so good,” Yugyeom agreed eagerly, biting his lip at the thought.

“Mmm, yeah. I just wanted to nuzzle her neck and breathe her in,” Mark said, his hands gripping onto Yugyeom and Jinyoung’s inner thighs as he tried to inhale any lingering scent in the room.

Jinyoung smiled, closing his eyes and licking his lips enjoying the memory of her scent and the sensation of Mark’s strong grip. His eyes opened, flashing a deep gold as he looked over at Jaebum, clearly as affected as everyone else.

BamBam and Youngjae looked up at Jaebum, their eyes flashing silver. “I’m suddenly hungry for blueberries and coconut, hyung,” Youngjae smiled cheekily. Jaebum couldn’t help but smile at that, as everyone laughed in agreement. Any tension that remained in the group, dissipated in an instant, BamBam letting out a small whine at the thought.

“Yes, I agree with you all. Her scent was… _fucking incredible_. But she affected us all which is unusual in itself. If she was un-bonded, then only Jackson and I would have been able to smell her, and only faintly. We still need to be careful and on our guard though, okay?” Jaebum chided the group gently. Everyone hummed in agreement. They all understood. It was rare for an outsider to smell that good to a bonded pack. Once a pack was bonded, they only really noticed each other’s scent which often blended into one scent for anyone outside of the pack. Within the pack, each member had their own unique scent that went mostly unnoticed by outsiders unless they spent a lot of time in close proximity to each other – JYP knew each of their distinct, individual scents as well as their pack-scent. The same went for every bonded pack or couple. The only scents that everyone could recognise were pack-scents and status scents. Individual, characteristic scents were solely reserved for when people were bonded or to be bonded – whether it were pairs or packs – or when extremely close, non-bonded relationships were shared – as in the case of family members or close friends. The only other time an individual scent was could be picked up by an outsider was during an omega’s heat-cycle, however, even then, the omega mostly smelt of their pack-scent to outsiders, rather than the individual scent.

For Ava to smell that good to Jaebum’s entire pack meant one of three potential things. She was part of a strong pack, – though Jaebum couldn’t believe that, as she smelt too sweet, too distinct and too _intoxicating_ for that to be a pack-scent – she was in cycle, – which he again doubted as he wasn’t entirely sure she was an omega, not to mention the other pheromones associated with heat-cycles would have impacted them all, especially his omegas, significantly – or she was un-bonded. He was almost positive it was the last one. Though it didn’t explain why her scent was so powerfully overwhelming for his entire pack. Whilst anyone could smell status scents regardless of being bonded or not, individual scents of the un-bonded – regardless of status – were only faintly available to other potential un-bonded mates, family, close friends and on the rare occasion, bonded alphas – to potentially join their pack – but no other bonded individuals. If the un-bonded individual were on scent suppressants, then only family and close friends could smell their individual scent. In order to smell an individual scent as powerful as they smelt Ava’s, an extended period of courtship would have needed occur for familiarity, closeness and attraction to grow. So that fact that everyone could smell the heady scent of blueberries and coconut both set Jaebum on edge and intrigued him.

The idea that the woman, who had been there and captivated them all, was un-bonded, filled every cell inside of Jaebum with excitement and desire. Her face popped into his mind. Gentle features, a cute button nose, eyebrows which framed her face, full lips, and cheeks which kept burning a bright pink every time she spoke or when the attention was on her. Overall, she had an ordinary, almost forgettable face. Pretty, but still ordinary, yet it was burned so vividly in his mind and he didn’t want to think of anything else.

“Maybe you’re the one that needs to be on guard, Jaebum-ssi, I mean… you seem pretty lost in thought there. What are you thinking of? Juicy and delicious blueberries, and smooth creamy coconut, all sweet and tasty?” Jackson teased, enjoying the look on the older alphas face as he registered the title used to address him rather than the actual teasing itself.

“I’ll give you one chance to fix your sentence, Jackson-ah,” Jaebum growled out a playful warning to the younger alpha. Jackson howled with laughter at the warning, falling to his side as he slapped the floor. Titles were never a big deal amongst the group in private. Whilst they mostly all referred to Jaebum as hyung – save for Mark who simply refered to him as Jaebum, sometimes adding –ssi or –a to the end – Jackson liked to tease Jaebum about their titles and status. It never offended Jaebum, even if Jackson slipped up in public as it was often seen as playfulness or closeness amongst the group. In that moment, Jaebum was feeling tinges of dominance surging through him, slowly detaching himself from the omegas as his turned to Jackson, getting ready to pounce.

Jackson sat upright and was still laughing, throwing his hands up defensively, “Okay, okay, hyung… _hyung!_ ” he coughed out but Jaebum launched at him, tackling him back to the ground. He started to tickle Jackson, knowing all of his weak spots intimately. The others laughed and cheered around them as Jaebum pinned Jackson down, nuzzling at his neck and breathing in his scent, a deep woodsy musk which elicited a low growl from Jaebum as he nibbled at Jackson’s ear. Jaebum’s calmingly seductive scent, a fresh, spicy mix of lavender and amber assaulted Jackson’s senses as he growled in return, eyes flashing that beautiful brilliant blue. Warmth spread through Jaebum at the sight. Sure he knew that he looked attractive when his eyes did that too, he’s seen the impact it’s had on his pack, but seeing that colour flash in Jackson’s eyes always sent a shiver down his spine. Having another alpha react that way to him was a feeling he could never describe.

“As much as I want this to happen and want to watch it happen, anyone can walk in right now. And we’re supposed to have practice. The choreography team should be here any minute now,” Jinyoung piped up apologetically, clearly wanting to continue enjoying the show. The omegas both let out a little whine as Jackson and Jaebum pulled apart, Mark and Yugyeom also half-heartedly complaining about the show being over. Until Jinyoung pushed Jaebum back onto Jackson, jumping on top of them exclaiming, “Puppy pile on the alphas!”

In less than a heartbeat, the entire pack had jumped and piled on top of the alphas, effectively immobilising them, squishing them affectionately. BamBam giggled as he felt someone squeeze his buttocks, and Yugyeom half yelled, half laughed as Mark licked a strip from his chin to his forehead, returning to playfully bite at his lips. Jinyoung reached passed Jaebum to kiss Jackson’s forehead, then kiss his lips softly, admiring his alphas face before breaking into a fit of laughter. Youngjae was trying to catch his breath as Jaebum tickled him, nuzzling and kissing his neck from behind. It was rare that they got to mess around at work, and there was no real reason to hide… the whole world knew that GOT7 was an untouchable, impenetrable pack – no matter how hard some tried – that was a force to be reckoned with. They were admired and revered for their pack being as strong and as close as they were. They were one of the more dominate and defiant public packs, yet the world knew nothing of their true sweetness and dorkiness when it came to each other. That was reserved for each other, in moments like this. The group remained all tangled and messed up on the floor, refusing to move off each other as they continued to playfully annoy one another until it was time to start practice.

 

*****

 

Ava followed JYP back to his office in the building, purposely avoiding the curious looks of everyone as they passed through the halls. The pair remained quiet, a comfortable silence between them, until they reached his office. He opened the door, stepping aside and motioning for Ava to enter first. She did, smiling as she took up a seat on one of the couches in the office, rather than sitting in the seat across from his, at his desk. He laughed to himself at how comfortable she was, _glad to see things haven’t changed a bit_. He poured two glasses of water, offering one to her as he sat in one of the plush arm chairs next to the couch, placing his own glass on the white wooden table in front of them. He paused, regarding her with a soft knowing smile. Ava looked back, sighing as she placed her glass next to his, turning to angle her body towards his. She waited, not wanting to be the one to speak first. Not wanting to pick the topic of conversation.

“They could smell you,” JYP said simply, hands loosely clasping in front of him as he leaned forward, sat at the edge of his seat. He spoke in English, knowing Ava was more comfortable in her native tongue, despite speaking Korean rather fluently.

“Everyone can smell me. They just can’t categorise me. Did you see the way everyone was looking at me on the way up here?” Ava replied, blowing out a deep breath.

“Yes, everyone can smell you, just like they can smell alphas, betas, omegas and packs. But they could smell _you_. Your exact scent. Not just your status,” he regarded her more seriously this time, maintaining eye contact and looking at her expectantly.

Ava sat there trying to process his words. Turning each word over in her head again and again. It was a minute or so before she could think of anything worthy of a reply. “Yeah, okay. I noticed it too. I could tell that they could smell me from the second I walked in. So, what? It doesn’t mean anything…” she trailed off, knowing full well that what she said was a lie.

“Ava, my sweetheart. You and I both know it means something. Everyone can smell a status, we’re all born with that. But to smell a specific scent, that signals something entirely different. Not to mention that every single one of them could smell you, not just Jaebum and Jackson. And they are all bonded, together. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re also on scent suppressants?”

A cross between a whimper and a whine escape her lips, originating from deep within her. Her head flopped down into her hands, covering her face to gain a moment to herself. She inhaled deeply, JYP’s scent of bergamot and black pepper a familiar calming force over her. When she finally looked up at him, she saw the love and concern in his eyes.

“I asked you to come here for a reason. You know how much I love you and I want to protect you the best I can. I promised your parents I would. You were not made for this world and this world was not made for you. There are people out there who will want to hurt you, to use you, to capture you and experiment on you. I won’t let that happen. You need someone… a pack that will treat you with love and respect, who will protect you and give you everything you deserve. The second I began working with them I knew you would fit in, even before they bonded as a pack, I just knew it. Today, the fact that they could _all_ smell you despite being bonded, only just meeting you and with you being on scent suppressants confirmed everything. It might take some time, but I genuinely think this is where you belong.

Ava rubbed her eyes, then rubbed her face still unable to process it all. “Abeoji… how could you possibly know? No one knows anything about my kind! There are less than 20 documented cases of people like me in the _entire history_ of man-kind. As far as I’m aware, I’m destined to be alone. It’s who I am, it’s in my nature. Besides alphas, I’m the only kind that can survive on their own. Unlike alphas, I can remain un-mated or un-bonded, even if it means I live a shorter life. Also unlike alphas, I actually like being alone and un-mated or un-bonded. Sure I need won’t ever be able to turn, and I will never know what it’s like to run with a pack, but that’s my destiny and I’ve accepted that.

She paused for a moment. Catching her breath, as the emotions caught up to her, burning at the brim of her eyes, threatening to fall harder with each passing word. Ava let her eyes wonder around the room, looking for a distraction from the tears. She scanned the off-white walls, looking at the awards JYP had won, hanging in decorative frames behind his desk. His desk itself was impressive, a grandiose tinted glass, neatly ordered, and adorned with a picture of his beautiful wife and him on their wedding day, all bright and happy, love and mate-ship radiating from them. A fresh set of tears welled up in Ava’s eyes at the sight, a surge of pain jolting her heart deeply, recognising that she would never get to experience that kind of happiness for herself.

“Every… every time I try to join a pack, it always turns to hell. Everyone ends up fighting because of me, and things fall apart. The tension becomes too much. I am too defiant and not submissive enough for alphas, I’m not dominate enough for omegas and I challenge and confuse betas. I’m always too much or too little for what others need. I can never live up to their expectations and I never act how they think I should in any particular situation. I’m too… I’m too _unpredictable_ and _volatile._  Whether I try for a pack or a couple, it never works because I am never enough or I am too much. Alphas end up wanting to _kill_ me, betas _hate_ me and omegas are _scared_ of me… because I don’t fit into one of those nice little categories. I don’t fit the system so there is no place for me but I. Have. Accepted. That… Please, please don’t try and give me hope. Every time I think there is hope, I end up raw, exposed and beaten. I can’t take… I can’t do this anymore.

Before Ava even realised what was happening, she was being enveloped in the alpha’s strong arms, surrounded by his scent and immediately feeling a sense of ease wash over her. JYP had been in her life since she was born, having known her parents from a younger age. He had always been her abeoji, teaching her Korean any chance he got, babysitting her whenever possible, flying her and her family out to see him, spoiling her as was his god-fatherly duty to do so when her parents said no to something. This was all too familiar to her. Feeling his arms wrapped around her tightly, her head resting on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart to bring hers back down to a rest. His lips stayed firmly attached to her temple, as he repeated how much he loved her and how he would protect her till his very last breathe. Even though they weren’t related by blood, they were related by love and that transcended anything he could imagine. She would always be his daughter no matter what her status or what she chose to do with her life. If she wanted to give this a shot, to test the waters and see what would happen, she had his support 100% of the way. If she decided that her heart couldn’t take any more heartbreak, any more rejection, then he would still support her and love her 100% of the way. No matter what she chose to do, he was proud to call her his god-daughter… his daughter.

“You don’t need to give me an answer now, or any time soon for that matter. Just work as a normal employee would. I will treat you the same as everyone else, assign you tasks that will keep you close to me, but also, close to them… if that’s what you choose. In the time being we’ll let things play out however they will and we will roll with it till you make a decision either way. How does that sound?” he cooed softly at her, his lips still attached to her temple as he gently swayed her back and forth as if she were a small child. Her tears began to slowly subside, sniffling her nose. JYP cupped her face with one hand, swiping away the tears with his thumb as he smiled down at her. She managed a weak smile back, but nodded in agreement. She yawned when JYP leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Maybe you should take a nap. It’s been quite an intense and emotional afternoon”, he said, shifting and shuffling them so that Ava lay, encompassed by the soft lushness of the couch and a cosy blanket. He kissed her once again on the forehead, “We’ll start this adventure tomorrow, until then, get some rest my beautiful, _sigma_.”


	2. Chapter 2

They kept droning on and Ava found it increasingly difficult to pay attention. This was the sixteenth meeting she had attended in her three weeks at JYP Entertainment so far. In the first five or so, she had paid careful attention, adamant to be the best possible employee she could be, however, around number ten, her interest quickly declined. There were lots of talk around figures, department changes and recruiting trainees. Ava had excitedly requested to be a part of the recruitment team – it meant she got to travel around from country to country. She had basic knowledge of what was needed for someone to be accepted as a trainee at JYP Entertainment but she still had a lot to learn and understand before she could officially join the recruitment team. Luckily, she would also have the opportunity over the coming weeks to work with current trainees and idols at JYP Entertainment, to examine what was needed of new recruits and what the current level of talent was.

A sickening feeling pulled at her stomach when she realised she would play a part in breaking the dreams of thousands of teens around the world, the ones who didn’t make the cut. However, it was probably a good thing that she would be there. Her maternal instinct and downright need to please people would probably help soften the blow of not being accepted. Even when declining someone or letting them down, she never wanted someone to feel like they weren’t good enough or weren’t worthy of great things… even if she couldn’t take her own advice.

Shortly after, a flare of excitement and nervousness passed through Ava as her thoughts wandered. In order to understand what was expected of trainees and future recruits, she would need to work closely with the current ones… and idols… _the_ idols. Her heart beat slowly increased as her mind wandered to her very first, and only encounter with GOT7 thus far. In the entire three weeks she had been at JYP Entertainment, that first meeting in the practice studio was the only time she had actually been in the same room with them.

She knew they were around though. She could smell their scent on JYP when she was in his office with him, she could smell them on the assistants, make-up artists, wardrobe technicians, choreographers… she could smell them on everyone. The pack scent was a sweet, woodsy musk, with floral and vanilla undertones. It clung to the air, thick and encompassing, when any of the choreography teams had come back from a practice session with them. Ava had tried her best to ignore it, to pretend like she had no idea what it was, or that she could even smell it. She had spent a lot of mental energy on trying to force her body to stop reacting to the scent over the last three weeks. Whilst she was positive that absolutely no-one noticed, other than JYP himself, she was sure that everyone had just thought she was weird and pinned it down to their inability to attach a status to her scent. Most of the regular employees were used to her by now and had stopped reacting to her scent, save for a few alphas here or there whose eyes seemed to track her every movement until she left a room. But Ava never paid any of them any mind. She wasn’t interested in alphas… or betas or omegas for that matter. She was interested in getting her job done and not letting some silly pack scent affect her.

But Ava could feel the scent burning deep into her memory. It felt like their pack scent ignited every cell in her body, heating her all the way through and pooling in the pit of her stomach, warm and comforting. She couldn’t help the way her body began to react to the scent memory. It wasn’t an immediate reaction, nor was it one of desire. It was a slow growing need that had been building, every single time she stepped foot into the JYP Entertainment building. Every time that scent surrounded her. It felt comfortable and familiar, and it felt homely. There was a need growing in her, a need to experience the scent first-hand again, not mixed with the status scents of others, but pure and untainted. It was a need she had been actively choosing to ignore. Pretending it didn’t exist and pretending it didn’t affect her.

But there, sitting in a board office in the middle of a meeting about revising annual figures, she couldn’t help but let that need in a little. She knew that sooner or later, she would have to be in the same room with them – _I’m not doing this by choice… it’s my job. I need to understand the recruitment process for my job. I need to understand why these idols are so successful, that’s it, that’s all. Nothing else._ Sooner or later, she would be able to smell them first hand again, quench that need and move on without having to examine it. She could move on with her life, continue her job, and hopefully be out of there and travelling the world looking for new recruits and avoiding everything else. Ava didn’t expect a mixed reaction to those thoughts within herself. The eagerness and all around excitement to leave and to travel, was mixed with what she could only describe as sadness. _Where did that come from?_

Ava didn’t realise she had sighed out loud, garnering the attention from others in the meeting. She smiled a tight lipped smile, nodded and looked down, not missing the knowing look from JYP. She had a lot of complicated emotions that she was happy to lock away in a filing cabinet until further notice. She visualised the action in her mind, firmly storing the emotions into a filing cabinet, locking it up and tossing the key into an incinerator, whilst she danced around the flames, free of the emotions. She stifled a giggle at the image, a small smile creeping to her face.

She could do this. She could avoid the emotions. It wasn’t the first that she had been attracted to a pack scent and she was positive it wouldn’t be the last time. All she needed to do was remind herself of the consequences of getting too close to a pack. How, no matter how hard she tried, she would never destined to find a pack, to be a part of something bigger than herself. Ava stopped herself before her thoughts ran away from her, yet again. She knew what those thoughts did to her. She didn’t need to go into the painful detail. She just needed a reminder of the ghosts from her past to keep her from making the same mistakes. Even if JYP was set in his belief that GOT7 was where she belonged, she couldn’t give herself that glimmer of hope. Within the not so brief meeting, Ava had finally come to a decision she had been battling with the last few weeks, since JYP had said he would give her time. She was going to pursue her career with JYP Entertainment, whether it be as a talent scout/recruitment manager, a part of the marketing team or even a choreographer, but she was not going to pursue anything but a professional relationship with GOT7, or anyone else within the company for that matter. She wasn’t going to set herself up to be let down or hurt again.

The rest of the meeting continued on uneventfully. Ava chimed in when she could, lending what little she knew about maths and figures to the discussion. Enough to maintain an air of interest despite being completely disinterested in the topic. She was aware that throughout the course of the meeting, JYP kept watching her, clearly knowing that her mind had wandered off and that she had gone through a rollercoaster of thoughts throughout the process. This was confirmed at the end of the meeting, when he wordlessly motioned for her to follow him. She willingly obliged, knowing that she would need to share her newly made decision with him at some point. Sooner rather than later… before she had the chance to change her mind.

One long, overwhelmingly silent elevator ride and two flights of stair later found the pair on the roof. Ava followed JYP out, her face unconsciously looking up towards the sky, like a sunflower chasing the warm of the rays. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms out, smiling at the sky and letting the warmth seep deep into her bones. There was a slight breeze which ruffled her hair but took the sting out of the UV rays. The sound of the bustling city below provided a comforting soundtrack as she tried to keep her mind in the moment. Opening her eyes, Ava walked closer to the edge, enough to see more of the city below and she the dots of people and vehicles scattered on the street. She watched in silence for a moment, deep in thought.

“Do you ever think about the millions of other people, existing in the world at the exact same time as you? Or the people who lived their lives before our time? What hardships are they all going through? What battles are they silently fighting? Are they winning, are they losing, are they just barely holding on? What keeps them fighting? What helps them to pick themselves up when they’ve been knocked down time and time again? Do they actually pick themselves up and continue on or just stay down till the world beats down hard enough on them?

JYP remained silent as he moved closer, watching Ava as she watched the world below her. “Take those people over there in that office,” she pointed to a nearby building where they could make out three figures, a pair of people standing and talking animatedly near a desk where a man sat working vigorously, occasionally glancing up at the pair, then returning to his work. “The guy sitting at his desk. What’s his story? Why does he work there? What role does he play in society, in his family, in his social circle, in his company? Does his job define him or is he searching for something else? Is his work too important that he can’t participate in the conversation going on right by his desk? Or is he simply not invited and keeps looking up in the hopes that one of them will include him in their conversation? Are those people being rude or are they discussing matters that don’t pertain to him? Is it a work conversation, or are they gossiping to avoid work? Are they friends outside of work? Do they get along with the guy at the desk or do they even know his name? Do they even care? Does he care or does he prefer being by himself and getting the work done? Does he like the work he is doing, or is he diving into it to distract himself from what’s going on around him? Does he–”

“Do you realise you’re projecting?” JYP asked simply, cutting off Ava’s ramble. She pulled her eyes away from the three figures, dragging them to meet JYP’s.

“I can’t pursue anything with them,” Ava responded firmly. She looked away from JYP the moment she saw the disappointment colour his expression. Instead, she let her eyes drift back to the trio in the building again, except the two people having the conversation had left, and the man working as his desk sat slumped in his chair, unmoving, staring at the screen. “I can’t let myself want something only for it to be ripped from my fingers, and by my own accord. I can’t let myself desire things that I know I will only ruin. I can’t let myself believe that my place in this world is somewhere where I am not alone. Because… at the end of the day, that’s where I always end up. Alone, scarred and left to pick up the pieces and try to fit them back together. Except every time is happens, I lose a piece or the pieces become misshapen and don’t quite fit anymore. I-I can’t lose anymore of myself. I barely have any as it is. It feels like I’m stuck together with glue, and staples, and sticky tape… If I break again, I don’t know if I’m capable of putting myself back together, and I’m too scared to test that.

Ava exhaled, long and hard. Her throat felt dry and sore, like she had swallowed rusty, jagged razor blades. She closed her eyes for what felt like hours, focusing on her breathing. When she opened her eyes, she was met with red-rimmed tears from JYP. His mouth was set in a grim line across his usually jovial face, hard frown lines marring his features.

“Nae ttal,” he breathed, opening his arms wide. Ava immediately responded before her mind could catch up. His warm fresh scent once again surrounding her, his arms pulling her in tight to his body, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head, holding her to his chest. “You are too pure for this world, my daughter. You are a gift, not appreciated by those blessed enough to have been in your life. I wish you could see yourself the way that I see you… the way the boys see you, despite having only seen you once and never having spoken to you. I know they are jittery and anxious to see you, to meet you properly and be near you. I’ve been keeping you away until you made your decision which I will respect. I want you to find happiness, even if we both have a different view of what that happiness is or could be. I will let them know that we’ve decided that you won’t be working with them but a different group. We will continue from there.

He kept holding her firmly in his arms, swaying them ever so slightly. Ava kept her arms circled around his torso, underneath his jacket. Her fingers clutched at the material at the back of his shirt as she spoke into his chest, “I don’t want to pursue anything with them, but I think I would still like to work with them. I can handle myself and I don’t want to let this interfere with how I would be working professionally. I can still learn from them and use it to contribute to how I perform in my role here. But maybe not immediately. I don’t know if I’m ready just yet.”

JYP held her for what felt like hours, lips pressed against the side of her forehead as Ava continued to watch out over the city. Her eyes fell back to the office where the three people had been. The man who had been sitting, slumped at his desk had returned to working on the computer, though it was clear that he was not as focused. The two people who had been talking reappeared. From Ava’s angle, she could see a cake held in the hands behind one of their backs as they approached the desk. The man at the desk looked up, hands coming to cover his mouth which had dropped open in surprise. Ava was 99% sure that the talking couple had returned, singing happy birthday as they placed the cake on the desk, singing happily and gesturing wildly. The man blew out the candles, quickly stepping around the desk to embrace each of the other two people, clutching to them momentarily. Ava, watching on, didn’t know what to do with the longing and desire that was bubbling within her after seeing the exchange. A glimmer of hope that maybe one day, she too would be able to feel that warmth that the birthday man was clearly feeling, despite earlier disappointment.

“We’ll get you started with the trainees. Everyone is categorised by age groups. Eight to twelve year olds, and twelve and above. We’ll start off with the older group first, so you can see the kind of talent at pre-debut level. Once you get used to that, we will move on to the younger group so you can make determine potential talent traits and attributes and make the connection between unpolished talent to proper trainee talent. I will help when you’re on the road recruiting. You’ll be seeing a lot of potential and unpolished talent. Once you learn how to recognise the kinds of people that can become idols, I have no doubt that you’ll become one of the best recruiters… if that’s what you want to do.”

JYP stepped back, regarding Ava with a searching look. What he was searching for was beyond her knowledge. “Yes, recruitment is definitely what I want to do. It’s harsh, but I’m excited about seeing the talent and potential. And I get to travel if I do recruitment on the international level. You know how much I love travelling.” Ava managed a small smile, her body still recovering from the surge of emotions, just moments ago.

JYP let go of Ava, turning to look out over the city, his back mostly turned to her, obscuring his face. He breathed deeply, his mind still whirling at the idea that despite making her decision, he believed that not all hope was lost. Somewhere, deep within her, she wanted to work with GOT7, to be close to them, even if she wasn’t ready to admit out loud to him, or even to herself. He had always had a knack for reading people, their emotions and their needs. Whilst he knew she was a strong, young woman who could take care of herself, he knew the consequences of being alone. She would live a half-life. She would never be able to turn into her were-self, she would never experience pack-bonding and love. She would never reach her true potential or find true happiness, no matter how she tried to fool herself otherwise. Their species weren’t built to be alone. It was in their blood, the need to be close to others, to find a companion or multiple companions.

Ava was the closest thing he had to a daughter and he wanted her to have to world. She deserved the world, even if she didn’t think so. Even if she had given up hope. He wouldn’t. He would keep that hope alive till she was ready to take the torch and light up her future. He was already formulating multiple plans and contingency plans in his head. One day it would happen, and he wouldn’t give up.

“You know, there are many jobs here that require travelling, if that’s what you really want to do. You could eventually manage a group one day. Or you could be part of the make-up and wardrobe team, or the choreography team. Or a handler even? Lots of different jobs…” JYP’s voice trailed off as more and more ideas popped into his mind.

“What do handlers do?” Ava questioned as she turned to watch the city again, standing side by side with JYP. Her hands played with hem of her shirt, fiddling with the bottom buttons as she waited for his response.

“Well, here at JYP Entertainment, handlers do just that. They handle groups. Whilst it’s up to the managerial team to sort out tours, hotel, flights, transfers, book recording session and the like, the handlers look after more of the recreational side and social side. They make sure the groups are fed, rested, up and ready when they need to be and keep them happy. They work alongside the security. Handlers accompany groups everywhere, all around the world.”

Ava exhaled, right hand coming up to slap the left side of her chest, throwing her head back in a loud, throaty laugh. She laughed so hard that she unintentionally snorted. JYP couldn’t help his own laugh that let loose from the smile that had crept onto his face. “So what you’re saying is that handlers are essentially babysitters from grown-up, fully adult idols? Oh, jeez!” She laughed even harder after speaking the thought out loud.

JYP shook his head, laughing. He was hoping she wouldn’t realise that that was essentially what the job was, but considering the job description and the fact that Ava was rather intelligent, he had no hope from the get go. He conceded, finally admitting that yes, the job was for a fancy babysitter to accompany grown adults around the world and make sure they were looked after. He spent a solid ten minutes convincing her of the importance of the role. How the managerial team often failed to recognise when groups needed a break or when their needs weren’t being met. It wasn’t their job to do that. But it was a job that needed to be done. Their physical, emotional and mental health was of the utmost importance and that’s why there was an entire job dedicated to it. “You should know better than anyone else why this is so important. You studied this!”

Ava laughed even harder. Yes she had studied psychology and counselling, but the idea of JYP hiring professional babysitters just seemed so ludicrous to her. Albeit a perfect job if she really thought about it, her maternal instincts kicking in once again. Her favourite thing to do was to take care of people, to feel that someone needed her to step into that role as their carer. That was definitely within her capabilities. “I’ll consider it. But… you know. You’ve mentioned choreographer twice now… Once just now and once in front of GOT7. You know I have no co-ordination right? I’m the kind of person that trips over nothing on a flat surface. The kind of person that falls _up_ stairs.”

JYP looked at her, a mask of seriousness falling across his face, “At least you can teach them how to fall gracefully.” Within a second he burst into laughter, contagiously infecting Ava as they heaved deep breaths in between each round.

“I mean,” Ava began as she tried to slow down her laughter, barely succeeding, “if the dancing required a cage or a pole, I’m definitely your gal, but something tells me that’s not what you’re after.”

It took a full sixty seconds for the words to register in JYP’s normally sharp mind. He slowly stopped laughing, his eyes searching her face for an answer he wouldn’t find. He squinted his eyes, as if looking even harder for the answer. “You know that pole dancing is a fitness regime in Australia, right? So many people go to pole fitness to tone their bodies, get fit and gain confidence. It’s legitimately a sport now. There are showcases and everything. Completely de-sexualised. I mean, obviously you can make it as sexual as you want, it’s up to the individual’s preference and flair, but at the end of the day, the classes are about fitness and health. It’s really cool and totally de-stigmatises it!” Ava responded with a smile, her features lighting up as she recalled all the pole fitness classes she had once taken.

JYP, not knowing what to do with that information just yet, stored it away in the back of his mind, “Good to know. Until I find a use for that here, I’m sure you can use those talents when you experience the night-life in Seoul… which I’m assuming is something you want to do?” He tried to maintain a serious face, but couldn’t help but smile. To him, this was what a ludicrous idea looked like. He didn’t want to think of his daughter up on a pole, though he had to admit to himself that it probably did take a lot of core strength, stamina and flexibility to do it. Maybe he _could_ find a use for that with the trainees.

“Well actually, now that you mention it…”


	3. Chapter 3

“This is driving me crazy!” exhaled Yugyeom who had collapsed to the floor after the fourth straight hour of dance practise had ended. Everyone else had slowly dropped off, not being able to keep up with the maknae’s determination to be the best dancer. “Literally all I can think of are blueberries and coconuts. That is all I can smell. It’s everywhere. Why is it everywhere?”

“Oh good, I thought you were going to complain about how bad your dancing is today,” Jinyoung retorted sarcastically, looking away before a smile broke out across his face, eyes crinkling from the laughter. Yugyeom hurdled himself on top of Jinyoung, play fighting him and holding him in a headlock, “Yah! Hyung, you’re one to talk! You wish you could keep up with me!”

“You’re right Gyeomie,” Jinyoung turned his body, head still locked by Yugyeom, and began to tickle the sensitive maknae, earning a yelp of surprise followed by a fit of laughter, “there is no way I could keep up with _hit the stage!”_

“Hyung! That’s so old already, let it go! It’s not even funny anymore,” Yugyeom wheezed in-between laughter as he tried to catch a breath, the exhaustion from the past four hours not helping. Youngjae had slowly made his way over and pounced on Yugyeom right along-side Jinyoung when it looked like the tickling was slowing down. He held the youngest beta’s legs down as Jinyoung renewed his attack, coming in full swing and attacking the defenceless maknae’s sides. It wasn’t long before Mark joined in, taking over the tickling whilst Jinyoung held Yugyeom’s arms down. Mark swung a leg over Yugyeom, straddling his stomach after lifting the youngest’s shirt up to reveal his glistening, soft skin, muscles on display for everyone.

“Jackson-ssi! Help! Hyung, please!” Yugyeom whined breathlessly. Jackson, who had been watching the whole thing from the side, silent laughter reverberating through his body, removed his arm that was looped around BamBam’s shoulders and pushed off the wall he was leaning against. Jaebum, who stood on the other side of the BamBam, let his arms slink around the youngest omega waist, holding him in place against the wall and unable to rush to his best friend’s defence. Jaebum playfully bit at BamBam’s shoulder, eyes tracking Jackson’s movements. 

Jackson jumped on Youngjae, causing the younger to lose balance and let go of Yugyeom’s legs. Jackson’s laughter rang above all the other noise as he squeezed Youngjae tight to him, rolling them around on the floor and wrapping his legs up with the younger, all the whilst peppering sloppy kisses on Youngjae’s face. Youngjae’s laughter rivalled Jackson’s in noise, pitched just lower than Jackson’s and holding an almost melodic and angelic tone.

Jaebum tickled BamBam’s sides lightly before letting the omega go. BamBam bolted straight towards Jinyoung, bowling the older backwards and knocking him right off his feet. BamBam out right howled with laughter, pinning the older man down. Jinyoung looked slightly confused, always forgetting just how strong BamBam actually was despite his size and status. Whilst most omegas were known for being weaker and submissive, the omegas of GOT7 could easily be mistaken for alphas. The only things they lacked that made them alphas were the scent, desire to always be the dominate, and the aggression that tended to run through the veins of most alphas… that and the biological and physiological differences. It didn’t mean that omegas weren’t dominate or couldn’t be, particularly in relationships and advocating for themselves, but they tended to have the least issue with being submissive or passive. Whilst it was their natural instinct to be submissive, it didn’t necessary ring true for their personalities, nor did it signal weakness. 

According to the history books, omegas tended to be weak, often sold into sexual or domestic slavery trades, used and disposed. However, over time, not only did omegas evolve biologically, but socially as well. Dark histories of omega use still existed in the world, but it was no longer socially acceptable and omegas were no longer viewed as the doormats of the world. Rather, the push for equality for omegas (and betas) saw a major shift in society, with the younger generations no longer adhering to strict rules of mating and bonding that once dominated the world. Omegas and betas were free to bond with who they wanted. Not only that, but omegas had found a way to use their scent and pheromones to their advantage, often ending up as celebrities and idols, with the added advantage of attraction on their side.

Jinyoung, laughed back, enjoying the amusement on BamBam’s face. Pinned to the ground by the strong omega, Jinyoung had no choice but to relent to the onslaught of kisses on his sensitive neck, trying to move away as BamBam latched on, kissing and sucking over his Adam’s apple. Jinyoung could have used his beta pheromones on BamBam to _attempt_ to control or disarm the omega, but he was secretly enjoying it too much, despite how ticklish it was.

Jinyoung was a beta in every sense of the word. Fiercely loyal to his alphas, ferociously protective of his omegas and fellow betas, the mediator and middle ground. He could switch from being submissive to dominate in a heartbeat. Jinyoung could step in and take control of a situation, even if Jackson or Jaebum were around. He had no trouble in telling the two older alphas what to do, and was fearless about it, even if he knew it meant that he might cop it later from one of them. But he was prideful and would take a scolding from the alphas over letting one of them one-up him or looking weak in front of others. 

For the most part, unless someone were to actually smell each member’s scent, they would be unable to tell who were omegas and betas, with the alphas tending to be more obvious due to their territorial behaviours. Each of them broke the mould of what their status dictated them to be. At times, even the alphas let go of their dominance and let the other members step up and take the lead. Even the omegas got their chance to lead the pack. From every angle, GOT7 were obliterating social norms and paving the way for younger generations. Any barrier they came across, they faced it head on, together and uncompromising. They weren’t afraid to go against the stereotypes.

Mark was similar to Jinyoung, often using his age to his advantage when it came to the alphas. Most of the time, status trumped age in pack dynamics, but that never stopped him from trying. Unfortunately for him, this was not one of those times. Jaebum had tackled the last of Yugyeom’s attackers, pulling Mark off of the maknae. He had pulled Mark up and backed him up against a wall, briefly looking over his shoulder at the mess behind him before turning his predatory eyes towards the older member. Mark, to his credit, wasn’t shocked or even surprised. Rather, he smirked, knowing exactly what Jaebum was like in these situations, particularly with their bodies pressed up so close together. There was no room to move once Jaebum had you pinned against a wall, not that Mark wanted to move.

And Jaebum did not disappoint. Despite the fact that both men were fairly evenly matched in heights, with Mark pushed up against the wall like he was, Jaebum’s alpha came out, making his presence more powerful than normal. Mark’s beta instincts instantly reacted to the pheromones, biting his lip as he looked at Jaebum, who was just watching him back. The alpha moved in closer, lips barely brushing Mark’s before he pushed off the wall and turned back to room to watch everyone, smirk plastered on his face. “Tease,” Mark huffed, scrunching his nose and poking his tongue out, despite Jaebum not being able to see it.

Jaebum laughed at the pure mess. Yugyeom had joined in the attack on Jinyoung. BamBam was still attached to Jinyoung’s neck, whilst Yugyeom had lifted the older beta’s shirt and began sucking and kissing at his hipbone. Jinyoung, who had initially tried to push the two off of him, now had a hand wrapped in either of their hair, slightly pulling, earning low growls from the two younger members.

Jackson was on his back, Youngjae laying on top of him and kissing him slowly. Jackson’s hands held Youngjae at the hips, his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt, fingers grazing the skin just beneath. It was a beautiful sight to see. Which was why Mark had wrapped his arms around Jaebum from behind, head resting on Jaebum’s shoulder while he watched along with the alpha, enjoying the sight of his pack. “We are so lucky that this is ours. That we belong to each other,” the beta whispered in Jaebum’s ear, soft and deep, hitting Jaebum right in his core.

“Yes,” he breathed, “yeah, we really are lucky to have each other.” He smiled for a moment longer, completely floor by the fact that all of this was his… was _theirs_. It was a revelation he had time and time again. Even though he knew it, felt the pack in every cell in his body, it never ceased to amaze him that this was all his reality. That this was the pack he was gifted with and that this group was whom he belong to.

With a heavy heart, he let the next sentence leave his lips, “But we need to break this up. This really isn’t the time for this. Anyone could walk in and we need to maintain some sort of professionalism.” He groaned out loud about how cringe worthy his words sounded.

“Not even a small break, Jaebum-ah?” Marked nipped as his earlobe playfully.

“Not just yet, Markie,” Jaebum replied, clearing his throat loudly. Before Jaebum even did that, Jackson had read the pheromones in the room, read the ones coming off of Jaebum and noticed the shift in his emotions, their alpha connection never once breaking. Jackson gently pried Youngjae off of him, giving him small apologetic kisses as he moved the younger man to sit next to him on the floor. Jinyoung followed suit, moving the two younger members off of him despite their whines and growls. He smiled apologetically, pink dusting along his cheeks, clearly just as affected as they were.

“I blame her. This is all because of that stupid scent that is everywhere,” Yugyeom huffed indignantly, crossing his arms across his chest and completely living up to his maknae role.

“Hyung, I hate to admit this… but Gyeomie has a point,” Jinyoung pipped up, scrunching his nose and smirking and the sideways compliment he was forced to give, “the scent has been extremely distracting all day. It’s just getting stronger every time we’re here. I think it’s safe to say that it’s affecting us all and we’re a little confused by it.”

Jackson had joined Jaebum’s side whilst Mark had moved to sit curled around Youngjae. Both alphas surveyed the expressions on everyone’s faces. It was a mix of emotions that the two alphas had never seen their pack experience at the same time. Annoyance mixed with excitement and confusion set Yugyeom’s eyebrows in a furrow. Jinyoung’s face remained neutral, but Jaebum had known the younger beta for long enough to know that the neutral mask hid concern for the pack, the glint in his eyes giving away the intrigue and desire. Contrarily, BamBam let his emotions completely colour his face. His usual flirtiness and cheekiness had been replaced with frustration as he worried his lower lip. Jaebum and Jackson weren’t sure if BamBam was frustrated with the situation, the confusion, or the clear attraction to the scent he had been experiencing. Youngjae looked nervous and guilty. The corners of his mouth pulling down. Both alphas knew Youngjae like the back of their hands, knowing that the guilt came from being attracted and turned-on by the heady scent of blueberries and coconut. A scent that wasn’t any of his pack members. Mark sat, arms wrapped around the younger omega, slowly rocking them. It was obvious in this situation that Mark was the oldest. He seemed the calmest of the five young men sitting on the floor. Contemplation written across his face as he stared hard at a spot on the floor, mulling over his thoughts, despite the younger man in his arms. However, the alphas could smell his emotions in the room, the curiosity and wonder.

The scent and pheromones in the room solidified any thoughts that the alphas had about what was going on for their pack in that moment. Despite the strong scents of confusion, frustration, slight anger and nervousness, the underlying scents of curiosity, intrigue and attraction were clear as day to the alphas. Even though the scent could easily be misattributed to the actions that had just taken place, Jackson and Jaebum knew that everyone felt the same way. They all wanted to inhale that scent, to be enveloped by it and absolutely immersed in it. It had been slowly driving them all crazy over the last few weeks. 

“Look, let’s talk about this when we get home. It’s been a long day and a longer couple of weeks. We’ll pack up and head home now,” Jackson announced to everyone, snapping them out of whatever thoughts they were having. Everyone nodded along, slowly getting up and retrieving their items from around the room. Jackson and Jaebum hung back and waited whilst Jinyoung ushered everyone out, making a phone call to their managers to have their van ready to go home.

“Jaebum-ssi, you’ve been thinking the same thing as me the last couple of weeks haven’t you?” Jackson enquired when the room was empty save for the two of them.

“Mhmmm,” Jaebum responded, deep thought lines appearing as his faced turned into a grimace, “They can all smell her scent. I mean, her status scent is confusing enough as it is.”

Jaebum exhaled, a hand coming up to scrub over his face and push his hair off his forehead. His hand remained in his hair, pulling slightly. He was exhausted from all the thoughts that he had been silently contemplating over the last few weeks. The alphas had initially decided not to discuss the issue. They were all already under a lot of stress, and they didn’t want to bring an extra burden onto their pack, but it seemed as if it were inevitable at this point.

“We have no clue what that status scent is. It’s throwing us all off. I mean, you and I should know it. We’re born with the ability to decipher it but clearly we both can’t. It’s setting me on edge. Every time I smell that status scent, I can’t control my alpha instincts and I know you can feel it too.” Jackson said as he moved to stand directly in front of Jaebum. The two held eye-contact for a long time, not needing words to communicate. Their alpha pheromones mingled in a silent conversation around them. Jaebum slowly nodded.

“Fuck… Jackson. Every time I smell it I….” Jaebum trailed off, disbelief at his own thoughts.

“It makes you want to protect the pack? And to fight her? And to protect her too? But most of all… it also makes you kind of want to submit to her?” Jackson filled in, worry lacing his voice, unsure of whether he wanted to hear Jaebum’s response or not.  
“Besides you, I’ve never wanted to submit to anyone else. Never. Give into our boys, yes… but to submit to someone else that isn’t you… I couldn’t even imagine it. It’s not something that I… that we should want. We’re bonded alphas. We have a pack. How could someone else make us want to submit to them, especially when she isn’t an alpha? I can’t get my head around this,” Jaebum exhaled, completely flustered that he was even saying these thoughts out loud, as if by giving voice to them made them facts and completely unavoidable.

“Yes. That is exactly what I am feeling too hyung. I’ve never wanted to submit to anyone but you, and yes we obviously give in to our boys but that’s different. They are our pack and we do whatever it takes to please them. That’s how we’re wired. To look after our pack, to protect and please them however they need. But her… who is she? What is her status? Why do I want to fight her and fuck her at the same time? I want to protect her, but I want to ruin and destroy her at the same time. I want her close but my instincts tell me to keep her away… I have no fucking clue where this is all coming from and I don’t know how long I can take it

Jackson exhaled, a long shaky breath. All the pent up emotion finally getting the better of him. Jaebum stepped forward, arms wrapping around Jackson in an instant. The younger alpha immediately responding, hugging Jaebum back and resting his chin on the older man’s shoulder.

“I’m scared that I’m going to let the pack down. That wanting to get close to her and wanting to learn more might end up in the pack getting hurt. I know she seems harmless but I can’t shake the feeling. I don’t know how her presence will affect the pack and our dynamics.” Jackson continued, feeling safe in Jaebum’s arms.

“I think you already know this and have picked it up over the last few weeks, but if it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way Jackson-ssi. I’ve never experienced such a divide and conflict in my alpha senses before. I know she is not dangerous. I know that JYP PD-nim would be careful about who he introduces to us. Which makes me question why he introduced her to us in the first place. I get that she is his god-daughter…”

“But there is just something about her that is throwing you off? Cause I feel the same hyung. Yeah, I agree. I know she is not dangerous. But she is throwing my alpha senses all out of sync. I feel like her presence… I feel like it’s making me disloyal because I want to be close to her. It’s tearing me up on the inside.” Jackson replied, keeping his arms still wrapped around Jaebum but leaning back to see the older man’s face. Jackson was worried about what he would find there, but all he was greeted with was empathy and understanding.

“Don’t ever question your loyalty Jackson-ah,” Jaebum spoke his words softly, but there was the alpha edge in his voice that made Jackson listen intently, “I feel the exact same way. She is having the exact same effect on both of us. But it doesn’t make us disloyal in the slightest. There is nothing and no-one in this world that could ever make us love our pack any less. If anything, her presence is making us better alphas. We need to know and understand what is going on in order to make the best decisions for our pack. Besides, you are one of the most loyal alphas on the face of the planet. There would never even be a chance that the other’s would ever think you were being disloyal. You are not capable of being disloyal. It’s not who you are Jackson-ah. Please don’t ever think that.

Jackson closed the gap between the two of them, kissing Jaebum as fiercely as possible. He knew that Jaebum’s words needed to be said. That the both of them needed to be reminded of their loyalty to their pack. He knew that Jaebum’s words were meant for the both of them and he wanted to remind Jaebum that the older alpha was just as loyal as the younger. But Jaebum was always better at receiving messages through actions, rather than words, despite always lecturing everyone else.

They broke apart, only ever needing a few seconds to convey a full message. They stood for a moment, arms still wrapped around each other and foreheads resting together, silent in the bond they shared.

“But what about the fact that the rest of the pack can smell her individual scent too? And not just smell it, they can easily identify it and distinguish it. They can smell it so strongly all over the building and they can name the scent too. They shouldn’t be able to do that, should they?” Jaebum exhaled, the exhaustion at the never ending questions in his mind, evident in his voice.

“I’m concerned about that too. I’ve never heard about it happening before. I mean, she could be part of a pack? It could be a pack scent,” Jackson voiced, cutting himself off at the unconvinced look on Jaebum’s face, “or I guess… could it be her cycle? I mean… It would be a really long cycle if that were the case but I don’t think so.”

“I don’t think she’s an omega. She has some of the stereotypical traits from what we’ve seen, but you and I would’ve picked up her status scent straight away. I can’t tell what her status scent is. Can you?” Jaebum looked exhausted, eyes blinking slowly as he racked his memory for any indicator, any trace of what Ava’s scent could be. Jackson’s mind tried to detect the scent as well, scanning his memory, all of the people and scents he had come across in his relatively short life time.

“I don’t think I’ve ever smelt that status scent before,” Jackson finally conceded.

“Maybe she is just part of a pack. But have you ever heard of a pack scent smelling that… that good to another pack? The whole pack?”

“It’s not a pack scent,” came a soft voice as the door opened slightly. Mark’s face came into sight from behind the door as he made his way into the room, making sure to close the door behind himself. “It’s not a pack scent, and she’s not an omega.”

The beta came to stop in front of his two alphas, his two dongsaengs. His lips unintentionally pouted and he shrugged a response when Jaebum asked how he was so sure. “My beta instincts… and I’ve smelt that status scent before. I have no idea what it is though, but back in America, I remember one of our neighbours had that same status scent. I was pretty young though and they weren’t around for long. I remember asking my parents about it but they didn’t say much. They just said that he was unusual and unsafe. They seemed happy that he was gone. I actually think our neighbours drove him out of town.

The two alphas listened carefully to Mark’s story only feeling more and more confused.

“They thought he was dangerous? Why?” Jackson asked the first of many questions that were racing through his mind.

“I actually have no idea. Like I said, I was really young then and I didn’t really see him much, but the couple of times I met him, he seemed really nice. He was quiet but really respectful. He seemed like he was always on his guard though. As if someone was coming after him. I do remember feeling really confused by his scent. It really messed with my beta hormones back then. I always felt a little uneasy after running into him, but I never felt unsafe.” Mark continued, eyes unfocused as his mind drifted back to his childhood.

“What do you mean by uneasy?” Jackson questioned again. Jaebum just looked from the alpha to the beta, quietly observing.

“I don’t really know how to explain it. It was as if my beta instincts were completely thrown off. They were telling me to fight him but to also protect him… even though he was at least 20 years older than me at the time, and I was a kid. Telling me to simultaneously submit to him yet try to dominate him. It was like his presence made me question my own status? I don’t how to explain it. It just wasn’t clear. Actually… I remember this once incident. I didn’t go into heat but I might as well have.” Mark’s eyes widened at the memory.

“Wait. What do you mean? Betas don’t go into heat,” Jaebum interjected, voice firm, yet his confusion coloured every syllable.

“I know… but my body reacted as if I were in heat. All the signs and behaviours were there, just not the pheromones or the actual cycle itself. Let’s also not forget the fact that I was still a kid then. Even if I was an omega, I couldn’t have gone into heat at that age. I hadn’t even hit puberty.”

“So wait,” Jackson spoke slowly, trying to organise his thoughts into a coherent, logical order but failing to do so, “do you think her presence will mess with everybody’s hormones? Is she actually dangerous to be around?”

They were all quiet for a long time, processing the possibilities. None of them wanted to speak their thoughts out loud, as if doing so made the whole situation more real and more confusing. “I don’t think so,” Mark replied definitely. His voice was strong and he seemed resolved with his answer, as if he truly believed it.

“You genuinely think so, Mark-hyung?” Jackson asked hesitantly, unsure if he was reading this beta correctly.

“Yeah. I really don’t think we need to be fearful of her or worried. We do need to figure this out as a pack. But I don’t think we need to be scared. Prepared? Yes, definitely. But not scared.” Mark replied, conviction in his voice that Jackson only ever heard when Mark was reassuring the boys when they were doubting themselves.

“I think we just need to be curious. If Mark has experienced this before, we can kind of prepare ourselves. But we all still want to find out more. Particularly about why we can all smell her scent.” Jaebum spoke up, side hugging Mark to him and placing a kiss on the beta’s temple. Mark smiled sheepishly at the gesture, always one to cherish the small moments of affection from his pack, particularly his alphas.

“Maybe she belongs with our pack? Maybe we can smell her individual scent because she belongs to us? I mean, that’s how JYP PD-nim put us all together. It started off with you and Jinyoungie in JJ-Project till the rest of us came around one by one,” Mark smiled, looking up at Jaebum and then to Jackson. They looked back at Mark fondly, a small smile gracing each of their faces at the memory of how their group ended up together as a pack. The two alphas then turned to each other, exchanging an inquisitive glace, eyebrows raising.

“We’ll be honest. It’s a possibility that both have us have been considering since we met her, but we didn’t want to bring it up with everybody yet until we had more to go off. But maybe we should talk to everyone. See what they think?” Jackson asked, wanting to know the opinion of both his alpha and his beta, both equally as important to him.

Mark merely smiled and nodded in agreement, enthusiasm written all over his face. Jackson and Jaebum were a little taken aback by his enthusiasm. Mark was usually the reserved level headed one of the group, along with Jinyoung. He was more cautious than any of them. Seeing his enthusiasm brought a sense of ease and calm over the two alphas. They could feel their beta’s happiness right through to their core, their alpha connections with him heightening their awareness.

“Okay, so we’ll talk with everybody when we get back to the dorm after we’ve all showered and had dinner, okay? But we should get going. We’ve been here a while now,” Jaebum suggested, earning a scrunched up smile from Jackson and a wide, toothy smile from Mark. Jaebum couldn’t resist giving each of them a kiss on the nose and then a quick peck on their lips. Mark’s smile grew even wider after that as his looked down at the ground and back up at Jaebum. Jackson also couldn’t resist the beta, placing a giant wet kiss on the oldest man’s cheek. A loud laugh broke from Mark’s lips and he brought up a hand to wipe the saliva away from his cheek, “Jackson-ah!” he yelped playfully, only to be silenced with another peck on the lips from Jackson. 

“Come on, let’s go find the others,” Jackson replied, pretending to ignore Mark’s reaction. Jaebum smiled, relishing the small and sweet moments like this, before he followed his alpha and beta out to meet the rest of the pack.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super delayed update. Was feeling uninspired! But hopefully will update a few more chapters soon. Ava will be in the next one! <3
> 
> P.S This is super unbeta'd. I constantly go back to the previous chapters and make small changes. I'm still working out the kinks of the A/B/O world I'm trying to create, so if the rules don't seem to apply or contradict what I've already written, please roll with it. I will update how individual, pack, and status scents work in the next chapter's notes. I will also explain how different suppressants work, but hopefully it all makes sense soon!! 
> 
> If things don't make sense or you notice things don't line up, please let me know so I can fix it (same goes for grammar and spelling)!!! I just keep changing my mind about things!

The smell of freshly cooked, hot rice filled the dining room, easily mixing with the scent of kimchi and various cooked meats and vegetables. The garlic and sweet tang of soy sauce had mouths watering at the aroma. They had had to order take out by the time they reached home, taking the waiting time as opportunity to shower and wind down from the day, aching muscles beginning to protest as the night wore on.

 

BamBam and Jinyoung were the first to shower and change, and were also the ones to set up the table and accept the delivery of food when it arrived at the dorm. By the time they had arranged the food on the table, the rest of the members had padded in softly, Yugyeom still drying his hair with a towel, steam rolling of Jaebum’s tinged pink skin from the hot shower he had just taken. Mark and Youngjae followed closely, yawning continuously and rubbing at their eyes. Jackson came into the room last, oversized hoodie on, the hood up and clad in flannel pyjama pants. They all piled around the table together, a gentle, after shower haze floating over all of them, easy smiles exchanged making everything feel dreamy and soft around the edges. Not a lot of words were exchanged over dinner, save for the few polite, ‘ _Hyung, can you pass me the…’_ The night seemed easier now that they were back at the dorm, their home.

 

It was moments like this that they all cherished the most. Simple moments. Like sitting down at a table, just the seven of them, sharing a meal together. Moments where they could be themselves and not have to worry about performing or maintaining professionalism, where all thoughts of idol life could be left at the door, replaced by pure, simple, domestic bliss. Even things like household chores, lounging around, and arguments were a luxury inside the house. It was always a reminder and how comfortable they were around each other, and about how much they actually loved each other and enjoyed each other’s company. There was nothing fake about them, despite what some of the world may think. Their bond was genuine and ran deeper than the stage, lights and contracts.

 

As plates became emptier and stomachs became fuller, the haze around them began to dissipate. It wasn’t hard for the betas and omegas to pick up on the pheromones in the room. They could feel and smell the tension rolling off of their alphas, the excitement vibrating from Mark. It didn’t set anyone on edge surprisingly, however it made them pay attention, curiosity beginning to bubble. The alphas could taste their packs’ response in the air, knowing that it was time to break the silence soon, to get the conversation underway.

 

“So…. Blueberries and coconuts?” Mark smiled, eyebrows raised expectantly as laughter broke out amongst them, the haze completely disappearing, the tension being cut at the knees.

 

“We’re either going to get really sick of them, or crave them non-stop now. I haven’t figured it out yet,” BamBam replied snickering at the thought.

 

Small hums of agreement echoed across the table as the pack focused in on the two alphas who had seated themselves next to each other at the beginning of dinner, preparing for this conversation from the get go.

 

“I guess, Jaebum and I should be honest about our thoughts on this situation. The reason why we didn’t want to bring it up earlier was that neither of us had enough information to come to a reasonable conclusion,” Jackson started.

 

“We still don’t,” Jaebum added earnestly, trying to convey his sorrow for letting the pack down.

 

“It’s okay Jaebum-ah… Jackson-ah. We trust you. You aren’t disappointing us. We understand that you’re just as confused as we are. Maybe even more so?” replied Jinyoung, reaching up to squeeze Jackson’s hand and smile softly at Jaebum. The two alphas smiled and bowed their heads at Jinyoung, his words warming them from the inside.

 

“The other reason why we didn’t want to bring it up is because we were worried that our thoughts would… upset you all. That you would feel like we were letting you down or being disloyal,” Jackson continued, instantly steeling himself as he sensed the sharp change in pheromones at the mention of the word disloyal.

 

“What do you mean by disloyal, hyung?” Jinyoung asked sincerely and completely without judgement.

 

The two alphas exchanged a look, both also looking over at Mark who nodded his head, encouraging them to continue with a small smile and blink of eyes.

 

“We know that you can all smell her scent. Her individual scent. Jackson and I had been talking, trying to figure out if it was her pack scent, or an individual scent. Even if it were a pack scent, it shouldn’t have been as strong as it was for all of you. Then we thought it was an unusually long heat cycle, though none of us think she’s an omega and Mark agrees, plus there were no omega pheromones. So we do genuinely think it’s an individual scent. And while alphas can faintly pick up individual scents of the un-bonded, the rest of you shouldn’t, particularly as we’re not close with her likes we are with our managers, back up dancers and JYP PD-nim. Which made us think that maybe… maybe she’s meant to be part of our pack. That’s how all of us found each other after all. That’s how we ended up in a group together.

 

Jaebum focused on breathing evenly, despite the rapid pace that his heart was pumping, circulating the blood to his face and ears, colouring them in tinges of red. He wasn’t particularly excited about voicing the next part of his concerns, but he didn’t have to worry.

 

“It’s actually been affecting Jaebum-hyung and myself in similar ways that it’s been affecting you,” Jackson took over, squeezing Jaebum’s thigh beneath the table. “First thing’s first. We would never question your loyalty to us or to each other. We will always be together as our pack and nothing could break us apart. But the fact that we can all smell her scent, and that it’s distracting us… Look. We’ll just be upfront. Jaebum and I have been constantly warring within ourselves. We can’t decide if we want to hurt her and keep her away from you, or if we want to protect her and drag her in with us, keeping her safe from the world, or whether we want to fuck her into oblivion.

 

“Or be fucked by her… submit to her” Jaebum added, staring straight at a left over piece of kimchi on his plate, not quite ready to see everyone’s reactions. He didn’t need to look up though. He could hear the intakes of breaths, the gasps, the questions of _‘what?´_ and _‘sorry?’_. He could smell the confusion in the air. The alphas could taste the mix of emotion, as if it were the strongest emotional alcoholic cocktail they’d ever tasted. It was almost too much.

 

“What do you mean you want to submit to her, hyungs? You shouldn’t want to submit to anyone except each other. You’re bonded alphas. You shouldn’t even want to submit to us,” Jinyoung squeaked out, voice becoming slightly louder with each sentence, his breath coming fast and ragged. His eyes turned gold and stayed that colour, indicating his distress as he was caught completely off guard by the information. The alphas could smell the pure anxiousness and hurt rolling off of him. Their level-headed, calm Jinyoungie was becoming worked up at the thought of them submitting to anyone, particularly someone outside of the pack. The fact that Jinyoung, of all people, was getting upset, almost set the two of them off. However Youngjae looped his arm through Jinyoung’s, resting his head on the betas shoulder, nuzzling into the fabric. The touch and his pheromones instantly calmed the older man down, as he brought a hand up to run through the omega’s hair. Jinyoung’s pheromones still coloured the air, but he was calmer through the touch of the younger.

 

“Hyungs…” BamBam said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Looking between his two alphas, BamBam continued, solemness dripping from every word, eyes turning silver, “You must have been so confused and terrified. Feeling those sensations and thoughts without even understanding it. When it goes against everything you know. You’re both really brave for dealing with it alone.”

 

The alphas felt their hearts swell and break at his sincerity of his words, at the love and admiration in his voice.

 

“He’s right,” Jinyoung piped up, swallowing, “I can’t imagine the pain you both felt because of the confusion. I wish there was a way we could have protected you from that pain.” Tears were welling up in Jinyoung’s eyes, in BamBam’s too, shining even brighter because of the gold and silver.

 

If BamBam’s words had broken their hearts earlier, Jinyoung’s words and the boys’ reactions absolutely shattered the alphas’ hearts. Their pack wasn’t upset because they though their pack leaders’ were disloyal, they were hurt because they wanted to protect their alphas and keep them happy.

 

Jackson grabbed Jinyoung’s hand to his left, and Jaebum’s to his right, and Jaebum grabbed BamBam’s hand to his right, which set off a chain reaction as he held onto Mark’s hand, who held onto Yugyeom’s hand, who held onto Youngjae’s hand who still had his head rested on Jinyoung’s shoulder. Their circle was connected, their energy reverberating through them all. They watched as everyone’s eyes slowly turned to their status colour, emotions running high through their connection. It really was moments like this that the alphas cherished the most.

 

“You never have to worry about protecting us. That’s our role, to protect you. And we will protect you to the ends of eternity and beyond,” said Jackson with such conviction that an instant calm settled over the pack. They all revelled in it for a moment, happy to sit in silence and just enjoy each other, allowing emotions to settle and eyes to turn back to their normal shades. It really had been a long couple of weeks, and the tension had been building. It was only fair for emotions to run high.

 

After a while, Jaebum cleared his throat, wanting to push on as he was mindful of the time and the fact that they had a full day of practice and training tomorrow. “So Jackson and I have been dealing with that, which is fine. We’re on the same page now and we’re comfortable with discussing it with you. We’re not distressed about it. But we are hyper aware of how you’re all feeling. We feel your emotions too. We know that her presence has been throwing everyone off. It wasn’t as bad at first, but it’s slowly impacting everyone more and more as the weeks go on. It was just the distracting scent at first, but you’re starting to feel as if your hormones are being thrown off too, right? All of you?

 

He waited and watched as each beta and omega nodded slowly, understanding and relief echoed through the room when they weren’t the only one feeling that way.

 

“I think, going forth, we _all_ need to be more honest about our feelings. We need to communicate more. We’re on the same page and there is never any judgement amongst us. We need to remember how strong our bond is. Okay?” Jaebum said, watching as each member nodded along, eyes flashing gold, silver, and blue, his own flashing too when he was satisfied that they were all committed to better communication.

 

“We should speak to JYP PD-nim about it too. He might be able to get us onto hormone regulators till we sort this out,” Mark piped up from cross the table. Jackson and Jaebum exchanged another look, nodding and agreeing with the idea. That would buy them more time to figure the situation out. “It would also give us a chance to talk to PD-nim about it. Maybe he can shed some light on the situation. It’s his god-daughter after all. He wouldn’t let her near us if she was dangerous, but maybe he might have an explanation as to why her presence is impacting us to this extent,” Mark continued, echoing sentiments from their earlier conversation.

 

There were nods from everyone around the room, agreeing with the idea. “Yeah, hyung. If I’m honest, I was wondering if she was dangerous or not. Yes, she smells incredible, but because of all the unknowns, I was really worried that she might’ve been dangerous. I was really questioning PD-nim. I hate that I was questioning him.” Yugyeom sighed, looking a little defeated, his shoulder hunched as he slumped back into the chair.

 

“Well, we were talking to Mark earlier actually Gyeomie…” Jackson said, looking at Mark, prompting him to take over.

 

“I don’t think she’s dangerous,” Mark said, the same conviction in his voice as before, “I definitely don’t think PD-nim would let anyone near us if he thought they would harm us, intentionally anyway. But I also think he knows what’s going on. Knowing him, he probably planned this. But I definitely don’t think she’s dangerous. I’ve met someone like her before, who didn’t have a status scent…. Well, a recognisable one…”

 

Mark continued his story. Re-telling the pack everything he had told the alphas before at the JYPE building. He went into more depth this time, explaining the encounters he had had with his neighbour. How his neighbour seemed skittish, as if he was always looking over his shoulder, waiting for someone to pounce. How Mark was so concerned that he begged his parents to call the police because he thought his neighbour was in trouble. How the man’s status scent sometimes changed and became stronger, then would disappear the next day rendering him completely scentless to the point where people would knock into him while he walked the streets because they weren’t looking where they were walking and had no scent to indicate that he was approaching them.

 

“And then, there was the impact on the people around him. Whenever my parents had an encounter with him, they would always end up arguing with each other. Not about him though… about stuff in general. But it was as if his pheromones set that off in them. The whole street was hostile whenever they encountered him. It was so strange. And I felt the same feelings Jaebum-ah and Jackson-ah feel now. I wanted to protect him, but I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to be near him all the time, but I wanted run away. I wanted to submit and dominate him… but I was a fucking child, so it didn’t make sense, and I just ended up questioning myself. And then, like I told Jaebum and Jackson, when I was around him too much, it set my body off, as if I was in heat.

 

“Hyung, you can’t have heats. You’re a beta. We don’t get heats,” Yugyeom said, sitting up and leaning forward towards Mark, his eyebrows drawing down in concern and eyes flashing gold. Jinyoung remained silent but his eyes snapped to Mark, flashing gold, and flitting between him and Yugyeom before widening and looking between the two alphas.

 

“I didn’t actually get a heat. It just felt like it. I didn’t have the pheromones or the actual cycle itself, but my body started to heat up until it felt like I was on fire. And it wasn’t painful at first… I just had this incredible… _need_. I don’t know what I needed at the time, I mean, I was still a kid, but I just _needed_ something so badly. It got to the point where my whole body was in pain. Any kind of movement just made my body throb and the heat increase. I couldn’t stop whining too. I just _wanted_ and _needed_ and _wanted_ and _needed_. It just wouldn’t stop. My parents had to call a doctor to make a house visit. They prescribed me hormone regulators. It wasn’t long after that that my neighbour disappeared and I never experienced that again. I came off the regulators soon after and everything went back to normal.

 

“That sounds exactly like a heat, hyung,” BamBam breathed, blinking slowly as if trying to comprehend what Mark had just said.

 

“Do you think he was on regulators? Or scent suppressants?” Jinyoung asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

 

“Actually, he probably was. Makes sense in regards to his scent. Like I obviously couldn’t smell an individual scent, just his status scent. And then is was completely gone.” Mark squinted his eyes at the ceiling, trying to recall the memory.

 

“Do you think she’s on suppressants? I mean, she can’t be. You’ve seen how everyone reacted, right? They can smell her status scent,” Yugyeom asked, looking around at each member.

 

“It depends, Yugyeomie. She could be on them. There are different scent suppressants. Ones for status scent, ones for individual scent, and ones for both. If others have noticed her, it could be because she was only on individual scent suppressants, or she may have just started them and her body hadn’t stored enough of the chemicals for it to have a noticeable impact. Which would make sense. That, or she might have switched brands and was trying to find ones that were strong enough. Could be a number of things. But I’ve noticed… and this could just be familiarity now, but everyone has stopped looking at her. Other alphas aren’t as curious anymore. I mean, we could all smell her scents, both of them, but let’s operate on the assumption that she means something special to our pack,” Jinyoung scrunched his face at his own words, unsure of them, “we would still be able to smell her and the suppressants would have no impact on us. So we actually don’t know what she smells like to other people. For all _we_ actually know, they could have just been looking at her because she’s PD-nim’s daughter and a foreigner. Or because of her weird status scent. Or because she didn’t even have a scent…

 

Everyone was silent for a long time, processing Jinyoung’s words. Mark seemed to be the most at ease with Jinyoung’s hypothesis, turning it over in his head and coming to terms with the fact that the idea seemed the most logical. Yugyeom seemed to struggle a little with the concept, but the omegas’ understood how different suppressants work, having been on variations of them at different times in their lives for various reasons. It seemed plausible that she was on suppressants, most likely individual scent suppressants, and they probably weren’t the ones she should be on.

 

“Actually hyung, you might be right,” BamBam voiced, “I’ve been on status scent suppressants before… before I met you guys, and sometimes people still noticed me. Particularly stronger alphas, but it was generally when I was close to a heat and needed higher dosages, or when I just started taking them.” Youngjae nodded, agreeing out loud that he had shared the same experiences.

 

A silence settled over them as they contemplated the information.

 

“So I guess… if she is actually on suppressants, regardless of what kind they are, _and_ we can still smell both her scents so strongly, even through the suppressants, _and_ when no one else can, then maybe… Maybe she actually is meant to be part of our pack? Maybe she’s meant to be ours?” Jackson spoke his thoughts out loud, not really looking for a response.

 

“But that doesn’t explain _what_ her status scent is. And I’ve never figured it out”, said Mark, chewing his lip.

 

“We’ll take it slow. We won’t rush anything. We’ll talk to PD-nim first, and then maybe actually have a conversation with her. We don’t want to speculate and get worked up over things we don’t understand yet,” Jaebum said as he stood up, starting to collect the plates and cutlery around the table and taking them to stack in the dishwasher, “until then, everyone should get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow. Jackson and I will try and set some time up to speak to JYP PD-nim. Until then, we need to take it easy, okay?”

 

He turned around, seeing everyone watching him and smiled. “Alright, good night everyone. Get some sleep”, he motioned at everyone to get up. It took another five minutes of clearing the rest of the table, and saying good night, exchanging hugs and quick kisses before any of them actually made it to bed. However, they all were able to lay their heads on their pillows feeling more at ease than they had over the past few weeks, sleep greeting them swiftly.


End file.
